In conversation with...Mike Smith, ERP Consultant

We sat down with ERP Consultant Mike Smith to talk about our Access 2.0 app and Mobile Warehouse module.  

Let’s talk about the latest version of Access - Access 2.0. From your experience, what features do customers love most, and what benefits are they seeing so far? 

One of the main and most loved features is Input Templates. Whether it be sales reps, or whoever is using the app, the ability to create a template and process repeat transactions quickly is one of the key benefits. It also helps with the accuracy of those transactions as well. Pre-saving a lot of the same fields repeatedly. It saves time and makes it more accurate. 

Say you’ve got a sales rep who always handles a particular customer and has their own way of processing orders. With templates, you can save that setup in the system- then next time, just pick the template and it’ll pre-populate the fields for you. 

What are customers saying about the time or money they’re saving by using the app?   

Yeah, 100%! One of my most recent customers to go live is using Access 2.0 for proof of delivery, which links straight into the transport module in iQ. Before Access, they were doing it all manually - printing off delivery notes, sending a couple of copies with the drivers, getting them signed, giving one to the customer and then bringing the other back to be filed away. That alone could take a couple of hours at the end of each driver’s run. 

Now it’s all done automatically. Drivers just get signatures on their phone, take photos, capture the location, and it all feeds directly into invoices and delivery notes, which can then be emailed to the customer straight away. What used to be a really manual, time-consuming job is now saving them loads of time, money and manpower. And because they’re not printing as much, they’re not only cutting costs but also doing their bit for the environment. 

Have there been any other standout stories like that one?  

Yes. Another customer of ours recently moved into a much larger warehouse. Instead of sticking with paper-based picking, they switched to mobile devices. By scanning bins, staff are now picking the right items every time, which has really improved accuracy. What’s impressive is that even though they moved into a much bigger space, they’ve managed to keep the same number of staff - all because they ditched paper and moved to mobile. 

This is something we talk about a lot at go-live and in workshops. The whole idea is to future-proof the business: get the knowledge into the system so it runs things for you. That way, if you hit a busy period and bring in temporary staff, the system is already set up to be as efficient as possible. That’s one of the big reasons customers are seeing so much value from these solutions. 

Looking ahead at Access 2.0, what is the long-term vision for the app and where is it heading?  

I think we’ve covered quite a large majority of business operations within the app already but certainly moving forward we want to make it a full 360 solution. We’ve already brought a lot of core business processes into the app, but the vision is to make it a full 360 solution. With the warehousing features we’re adding, businesses will be able to manage everything - from sales reps and sales order processing, right through to the warehouse, into transport with proof of delivery, and even admin tasks like expenses and timesheets. Ultimately, we’re heading towards a fully mobilised workforce that can work from anywhere.

I want to pick your brains about Mobile Warehouse (MWH). What problems would customers typically face before implementing MWH?  

So, Mobile Warehouse (MWH) is basically using handheld devices that link straight back into your system, so everything’s updated in real time. When we take on new customers, we usually find their warehouses are still paper-based, and that’s where a lot of problems creep in. You get inaccuracies in picking because staff don’t always know exactly where products are, or they might grab the wrong item. 

With MWH, all of that becomes a lot more accurate. The device shows you the product and the bin location, so you’re not second-guessing. And that really matters in industries where products look almost identical - like cables that only differ by diameter, or bits of wood that vary slightly in length. Those tiny differences used to cause big mistakes, but with a mobile solution feeding into the system, that’s just not an issue anymore. 

Pretend I’m a customer who’s decided to take MWH. What’s the sort of timeline where I can see a return on investment? 

Usually between six and nine months. There’s always an adjustment period where you’ve got to get used to it, and you do need to stick with it to see the measurable results. You’ll notice some immediate benefits, but in terms of a full return on investment, it’s around that six-to-nine-month mark. 

I’m assuming it’s not just a case of implementing it and instantly knowing how to use it. Does it come with training, and do customers need to change their methods a little? 

Exactly. A lot of the groundwork is done before go-live. The big thing is making sure your warehouse is ready - and that’s something businesses don’t always realise. You need to have the basics in place: barcoded bins, accurate product data, barcodes in the system, labels, label printing. They’re all small things and easy to sort, but if you don’t have them set up, you’ll run into problems. Once they’re in place, though, MWH gives you the tools to solve issues as they come up. For example, if you go to pick stock from a bin and it’s not there, you can use MWH to quickly move it to the right place in the system. 

I’m sure you hear repeat comments from customers once MWH is up and running. What’s the feedback you hear most often? 

A big one is how easy it makes their jobs. With paper-based picking, printouts would just sit in a random printer tray until someone grabbed them. With MWH, pickers have a clear itinerary of what they need to do, right on the device. It makes them proactive instead of reactive. They can see everything in one place and work from the app, instead of running around with bits of paper that could get lost or ruined, especially if you’re out in the yard. 

And to round things off - can you give us one quick-fire impressive transformation with MWH before we let you go? Go!

Sure! One customer was really struggling with picking - stock levels were inconsistent, and in their old system they even had negative stock switched on, so they’d just pick whatever the system said they had. After moving to MWH, they’ve now got a clean, accurate system. Stock levels are reliable, picking speeds are faster, and they’re able to scale without adding extra staff. How’s that for a quick-fire win? 

 That’ll do nicely Mike, thank you!